Her Hidden Falls Bodyguard Billionaire Cowboy - Taylor Hart Page 0,46

closer, and he spotted a black van. “There!”

They were hovering over a strip of the freeway, but the van took an exit and headed into Charleston.

“Follow it. Let’s see if it takes us to Rafael.”

“Giddyap!” Beau called out, making a redneck yell. “Let’s meet this Mr. Rafael Cortez.”

Sean felt his phone vibrate. He looked at a text from Agent Anderson.

The mole is Agent Sears.

“What?” Sean tried to wrap his head around this information. “My boss says the mole is Sears.”

“He helped break Rafael out?” Kane asked.

“He must have.” This had just gone to another level.

Ryan clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Take a breath, son. This is about to get real.”

Chapter 25

The van stopped, and Zoey heard the sound of something mechanical grinding, like a garage door opening.

“It’s time to get paid,” Agent Sears said, almost in a singsong voice. The van started moving again, but before it had completely stopped, he grabbed her arm and yanked her, throwing the door open and dragging her out of the van with him.

She winced, squinting against the bright lights.

“’Bout time.”

Her heart sank. She recognized that voice from the coffee house, where it would order the same coffee every time—black, with an extra cream.

Then she saw him. Rafael. He stood in the center of the building, surrounded by a squad of men. He’d grown a beard, so he didn’t look quite the way he had before, but she would know that face anywhere.

“She wasn’t an easy grab, let me tell you.” Agent Sears sort of threw her at Rafael.

Rafael intercepted her, taking her by the shoulders and pinning her against him. He inhaled deeply, grinning at her. “Different, but the same.”

Her hands were zip-tied behind her back, and she wished more than anything that she could push him away. After all the years spent in hiding, she’d had the need to escape drilled. But the fact this man had the gall to have her captured right before he was about to go to trial also ticked her off. It ignited a sense of yearning for justice. She had to buy time and figure out how to escape.

She steeled herself for what she was about to do. “Hey, Rafael.” Wait for it, wait for it … “I’ve missed you.”

Rafael froze. From the look in his eyes, he wasn’t sure whether to believe her.

“What can I say? I’ve thought about you a lot, and I wish things would have been so different.”

His brows lifted in interest.

“You did pay for my mother’s treatment. I’ve always been grateful for that.” She leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

He visibly relaxed, and his grip on her shoulders lightened slightly. “I’ve thought about you over the years. I wished you’d never gotten involved in the less … civilized part. I wish I could have shielded you from it.”

Her stomach turned. She had the urge to spit in his face, but she pushed it aside. Instead, she leaned up, waiting for him to meet her lips. “Then let’s make up for lost time.”

He hesitated only for a second; then he leaned into her.

Perfect position. She yanked her knee up as hard as she could, pushing herself closer to the man like she had practiced with Sean so she could more easily make contact.

“Ohhh!” he yelled, crumpling to the ground.

Zoey turned without hesitating and kicked Sears in the face.

Guns immediately pointed in her face. “Let me kill her, boss,” one of the men said.

Rafael lay prone for a moment, but he started laughing. It wasn’t long before he was up and moving into her space, and his men moved out of the way. “I see you’ve had to learn some survival skills, Zoey.”

“Guess when you kill a girl’s brother, she learns.” She spit in his face, unable to stop herself.

“Makes sense.”

She felt some relief. At least if she died, she could tell Brian she got in a good shot.

In a blur of motion, Rafael slammed a fist into her gut, knocking the wind out of her lungs and leaving her gasping for air. “You’re dead, you know. You’re finally dead.” His dark eyes flashed, and he signaled to his guys. “I thought things might be different, but I don’t need you anymore.” He pushed her down. “Kill her.”

“Boss, we’ve got company!” someone yelled out.

It all happened so fast. Zoey couldn’t process it all.

“She’s leverage!” Agent Sears yanked her from the ground and scurried to the side of the van.

The whir of a helicopter came low enough to rattle the